Sacramento, CA (2018) – California continues to lead the way in discussions regarding comprehensive student financial aid reform on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 as the final informational hearing on the Master Plan for Higher Education is held in Sacramento.  Lupita Cortez Alcalá, Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission, will be testifying at the hearing for the Assembly Select Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education in California, where she will provide an overview of the status of higher education finance in California.

Ms. Cortez Alcalá plans to share with the Committee the impact of financial aid on the students currently served by the State’s financial aid system, the shortcomings of the current system, and the role financial aid can play in the State’s Master Plan. She also plans to discuss the Commission’s financial aid reform proposals that seek increased financial support for college students.

“We are proud of the fact that California has one of the most generous and progressive financial aid systems in the country,” says Ms. Cortez Alcalá. “However, the ongoing student debt crisis and the focus on food and housing insecurity have provided an opportunity for us to reexamine our system, and to discuss how it can be modernized to serve the needs of today’s student,” she adds.

Ms. Cortez Alcalá will be joined by Monica Lozano, President and CEO of the College Futures Foundation. Also joining the panel will be Robert Shireman, Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation (TCF) and author of the “Expanding Opportunity, Reducing Debt” report prepared by TCF for the Commission earlier this year

The Committee has held several hearings in an effort to confirm that the Master Plan for Higher Education (Master Plan) is meeting the needs of California’s students. The Master Plan was originally established in 1960 and has undergone several revisions since its inception. The speakers have been invited to the hearing to identify the challenges facing students today.

Event Details:
Assembly Select Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education in California
Overview and Status of Higher Education Finance in California
Tuesday, August 14, 2018 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
State Capitol (Sacramento), Room 444

Lupita Cortez Alcalá testimony regarding Financing Student Aid in California at the Assembly Committee on The Master Plan for Higher Education in California. Click Here!